This is a discussion on Fin Rot - help within the Tropical Fish Diseases forums, part of the Freshwater Fish and Aquariums category; -->
It looks like my The subject species is referred to as the Common or Southern Platy in order to distinguish it from Xiphophorus variatus, ...
It looks like my Platy has fin rot. It's milky white near the edges of her tail fin and it looks a bit jagged. All other fish look fine. My water params are 0, 0, 20 nitrate. I have a 20g at 80 degrees. I do a 40% water change each week. All of the fish are friendly - never seen any nipping.
Not sure what would cause this.
I have googled what to do but still unsure.
Should I medicate her? I have a 2 gallon with cherry shrimp I could place her in - but of course I don't want to harm the shrimp either.
If you look around the internet, most sources say it's the result of bacteria. They go so far as to say you need to break down the tank and scrub everything and then treat with the appropriate medication. I have a betta that looked to have every indication of fin rot a week ago. I did more frequent 50% water changes and it seems to be clearing up. It seems that an anti bacterial would kill beneficial bacteria also. Maybe do a 60% water change and clean the filter media in the old tank water. Vacuum the substrate while you're at it. Then do 50% water changes twice a week. I'm prescribing the easy way here. Maybe our experts will wade in. Best of luck.
